The Right Reasons
by excuse.me.while.i.fangirl
Summary: When his life is turned upside-down by an unforeseen announcement and an unexpected houseguest, the only person who can make things right is Kyouya’s sworn competitor, Arisu, an OC. Slightly Pride-and-Prejudice-y with all the laughs and romance of Ouran.
1. Chapter One: Overview and Teaser Chapter

**Overview**

Title: The Right Reasons

Genres: Romance, Friendship, Humor

Perspective: Third person

Pairings: KyouyaOC (main), FuyumixHusband, OcxOC, possible TamaHaru later

Rating: Teen for mild language, mild romantic scenes, and, of course, just in case

Summary: When his life is turned upside-down by an unforeseen announcement and an unexpected houseguest, the only person who can make things right is Kyouya's sworn competitor, Arisu, an OC. Slightly Pride-and-Prejudice-y with all the laughs and romance of Ouran.

--

**AN:** Hey there, everyone! Here's my first fanfiction! I'm not making any promises about updating every week or anything, but i hope you'll read and enjoy anyway!

**Disclaimer--** I don't own Ouran. I also don't own Pride and Prejudice. They belong respectively to Bisco Hatori and Jane Austen. If I did own them, though, that would be sweet!!

--

**Teaser**

Kyouya sat alone in his room. The rest of the Host Club members were at their respective homes, and it was a fairly uneventful Friday evening, save for the fact that the youngest Ootori and his family were going to a formal party at the mansion of the two head psychiatric doctors working in conjunction with (but not yet a branch of) the Ootori hospitals.

As per his style, Kyouya had done his research: the host and hostess of the party were a husband and wife team, who had met in med school and graduated a year apart, each at the top of their class. The husband specialized in treating the psychiatric patients while his wife did the research, gathered the data, made speculations (known in the scientific world as _hypotheses_), and ran tests on the patients. They had two children: the first child, a son, had died years ago due to complications of pneumonia; Kyouya vaguely remembered attending the funeral, but the memory, much to his frustration, was too blurry to be of much use. The second child, a daughter, was still alive and well. Not much was written in the Ootori Database about the doctors, and even less was written about their two children.

Currently, the doctor duo was working on a cure to severe, malignant phobias, and tonight, in an adults-only setting, they would be presenting their findings to other medical professionals. It was a bittersweet thing to Kyouya: he didn't mind having something to do besides his homework (it was two weeks before finals and Kyouya desperately needed a break from the workload before he snapped from stress and he knew it), but he also knew that Adults Only meant that he would be left out for sure. Both of his brothers would get to see the presentation and Fuyumi's neurosurgeon husband would get in no problem, but he would be shut out with all the other rich non-adults in attendance. _At least I have Fuyumi_, he reasoned.

Knowing that he was completely alone in his room and it was safe to drop his cool-calm-and-collected act, Kyouya sighed heavily, and with a bit of emotional effort, he hoisted himself off his couch and went over to his bed where he had already laid out a neatly pressed dark gray suit. With another sigh, he began undressing… first the button-up shirt, then his socks, and then his black jeans until only his blue-and-gray-plaid boxers remained. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and gave himself three more minutes to wallow in self-pity. That was all the time he had.

He rubbed a little deodorant on under his arms, gave a few spritzes of a very low-key cologne, and then let those sink in for a minute, sighing the whole time.

He pulled the crisp black pants on, zipped up the fly and buttoned the two hidden buttons, then pushed his hands into the pockets to make sure they weren't sticking out. Then came the white, button up shirt, and then the indigo tie, and then the black vest. Over all that, he pulled on a dark gray jacket with tails. _Hope this place has air conditioning or I'll fry in this thing. _He pulled on a pair each of black socks and shoes, laced the latter up, and sighed again as he looked in the mirror.

_Satisfactory._

With a huge gust of air, he checked his Rolex on his wrist. His three minutes were up.

Resignedly, he gave his mirror a sad smile, grabbed his black trench coat and went downstairs to leave with his family.

--

**AN:** Longer chapters will be posted in the future, I promise! Hope you enjoyed it so far!


	2. Chapter Two: A Memorable Evening

**AN: **Hey, all! No, as a matter of fact, I have not disappeared off the face of the planet! Since it took so long for me to get this chapter up, I made sure it was extra long! YAY!! And since it is so long, and it took so long to write, I think reviews are in order! Yay!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or Pride and Prejudice. They are owned respectively by Bisco Hatori and Jane Austen.

--

Chapter Two- A Memorable Evening Chapter Two- A Memorable Evening

The ride to the event was uneventful: his father talked, he and his family listened. His father set his expectations for the party's behavior, but Kyouya barely heard it. In the sanctuary of his mind, all hell was breaking loose as he contemplated whether or not he had done enough work on his math homework.

--

At the gathering, he met up with his older sister and her husband. _At the very least, they make a good-looking couple,_ Kyouya thought.

"Kyouya!" his sister called, coming over to meet him, and hugged him close. "I've missed you so much! What's all happened since I left town last week?" She asked, holding him by his shoulders. She and her husband had gone on a retreat together (on her father's orders) to get away from her parents' home for a week. Kyouya had smiled and helped her pack, but secretly he was wishing—no, internally begging—that she would stay in town: he'd had a very large test in advanced placement calculus coming up and he needed someone to be there for him and help him study. (Just because he was good at simple algebra didn't mean he was exceptional at more advanced forms of math, but he had set his expectations high and taken the class anyway.) It wasn't the first time he had to put his façade on for Fuyumi, but that was when the façade hurt most. He knew she trusted him to be himself around her, and he trusted her, too, so putting on the act became akin to an acute kind of torture. He remembered the night before the test with a pang of nausea so bad it was almost agonizing: he had slept restlessly, tossing and turning as violently as the content of his nightmares. The next day he had barely been himself, snapping at a younger student, almost leaving the house sans pants, not having focus in his first classes, not having an appetite at lunch, and then muttering curse words under his breath for a solid hour after the test was through. Luckily, only Tamaki seemed to notice any change, and even he had the good sense to not mention it.

Fuyumi didn't need to hear all that.

"Absolutely nothing," he answered, reflexively breaking into a false smile.

"Something was supposed to happen! I know I'm forgetting it!"

"No, nothing happened. I think you must be forgetting something else," Kyouya assured, grin still in place. _Lying through your teeth isn't good for your health_, his selfish side commented with a smirk. _Do it anyway_, his inner angel commanded. _Fuyumi doesn't need your trouble to pile on her own. And besides, Father is probably watching; you don't want him to know how close you came to cracking under the pressure, do you?_

_Damn my internal conflict_, Kyouya cursed.

"How have you been, Kyouya?" Daisuke, Fuyumi's husband walked up behind her and put an arm around her. The way he asked, it sounded like he was genuinely concerned for his brother-in-law's health.

"Very well, thank you."

"And how's school? Finals are coming up soon, aren't they?" he continued with a knowing smile.

_So Fuyumi must've had some idea after all. And let ­­­­her husband in on it._

"Yes, they are. I'll be done with them in a few weeks."

"Any ones you're especially not looking forward to?" Daisuke grinned.

"I haven't really thought about it, I guess." Kyouya shrugged and smiled; internally he was screaming _CALC!! _

"Well, if you need any help with biochemistry, or any of your other subjects for that matter, I'm gonna try my best to stay in town for a few weeks. Feel free to stop by and I'll help you review. And Fuyumi and I would love for you to stay for dinner with us," Daisuke invited.

"Thank you very much for your offer. Maybe I'll take you up on it."

"Oh, please do, Kyouya! I don't get to see you as often as I'd like! And you know you're always welcome at our home," Fuyumi gushed.

"When you put it that way, you make it hard to refuse," Kyouya chuckled.

"Yes, our house is far too quiet and lord knows we need someone else around to keep us company," Daisuke smiled, hugging his wife close. Kyouya deliberated for a minute. _One evening or two can't hurt. And besides, it's just studying and dinner. And Fuyumi and Daisuke _have_ been inviting me over quite a bit recently…_

"I'll call tomorrow with a date and time," he said, his smile genuine for the first time that night. This gave him another hug from Fuyumi and a high-five from Daisuke's free arm.

"Ah, Fuyumi. It's good to see you again," Ootori Yoshio said, coming up to his daughter. "Good evening, Daisuke," he greeted.

"Good evening, Ootori-sama," Daisuke replied, bowing to his father-in-law.

Kyouya spared his father a bow and a nod of the head, and then quickly excused himself. He didn't feel the need to spend any more time with the man than absolutely necessary.

--

After about twenty minutes of mingling and how-do-you-do's, the Ootori family (minus Daisuke and Fuyumi, much to Kyouya's disappointment), assembled to greet other family with identical prestige. It was like the Ouran open house all over again.

_So many pointless introductions_, Kyouya silently complained after being showcased like a portrait with his brothers for about ten or twelve families. _Why can't we just sit down and eat already?_

"Ah, Ootori-sama," a male voice called. Kyouya didn't recognize it, but it had a pleasant tenor tone. Three people, all well dressed, walked up to his family: a man and two women. _These people must be the Tsukinos, the hosts of this event,_ Kyouya concluded. There simply was no one else left to greet. He had never seen this man before, nor either of the two women. _Probably because, until recently, they were never connected with the Ootori Group_, Kyouya reasoned._ Oh, wait, they still aren't… Father must let them use Ootori Group facilities and Ootori Group lord knows what else to lure them into a full-fledged merger. It makes just enough sense to be reasonable, and is just vague and cunning enough that my father would stoop to it._

"Oh, hello, Tsukino-sama, Mrs. Tsukino-sama," the man in question addressed, bowing as well. _ I was right, they are the hosts_, Kyouya thought. _Dr. Tsukino Katashi. Age forty-three. Male half of the Tsukino Mental Health Duo. Dr. Tsukino Ran. Age forty-two. The female half of the Tsukino Mental Health Duo. Parents to Tsukino Shinobu Arata, deceased, and Tsukino Atsuko Arisu, age sixteen. _Kyouya rattled off the basics and observed silently that all three looked youthful; had he not known previously, he might have guessed Mrs. Tsukino to be around twenty-nine instead of forty-two._ Talk about aging gracefully_.

"Ootori-sama, you remember my daughter Atsuko," Mr. Tsukino remarked, gesturing to the younger of the two women.

Kyouya appraised her as though she were a vase or an oil painting: a floor length, short-sleeved dress; elegant but pronounced curves; fair hair that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be auburn or copper or gold twisted into a very Elizabeth-Bennet-esque up do with pearl bobby pins; blue eyes; long, slender legs partnered with a well-proportioned torso; thin arms; a few freckles; tiny feet on nondescript high heels; and porcelain pale skin.

But then he noted that her eyes had faint lavender semicircles beneath them, and he wondered if she was an insomniac or if approaching finals were just stressing her out, and thought that, if either were true, he could empathize entirely.

"You look well, Miss Tsukino," his father replied. _What a lie. She looks like she could use a good night's sleep. Badly._

"Thank you very much, Ootori-sama. It is a great pleasure to see you again," she responded, curtsying properly and dipping her head. _How proprietary_. Kyouya noted that her voice was a soprano, higher and delicate-sounding.

"Yoshio, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting your family," Mrs. Tsukino mentioned, her voice a subtly pretty soprano. She was dressed in a deep gold that greatly contrasted her fiery red hair. Her dress, too, was floor-length, but the cut of it looked odd for some reason and Kyouya couldn't quite place it.

"Then I shall remedy that immediately, madam. This is my wife, Kimiko, my eldest son, Ichiro, my second son, Akito, and my youngest son, Kyouya."

Mrs. Tsukino inclined her head to each of them in turn, but her daughter curtseyed.

"My daughter, Fuyumi, you already know. However, she's being introduced with her husband now," his father smiled. _How do they know Fuyumi?_ Kyouya wondered. But then he noticed a true smile cross Atsuko's face.

"Fuyumi is here?" Mr. Tsukino asked. "Atsuko, I hope you'll re-acquaint us with your friend, and I'd love to meet her husband." _Wait… Atsuko's friends with Fuyumi? I never heard about Fuyumi having a friend named Atsuko._ Kyouya scoured his memory. _Oh, hang on… "Tsukino Atsuko _Arisu_." She must go by her middle name in informal situations. That explains a lot. _Kyouya remembered Fuyumi shutting herself in her room with a girl who called herself Arisu. They were always giggling and whispering behind closed doors and since he had assumed it was just girlie nonsense, Kyouya hadn't ever thought twice about it. Now that he recalled it, Fuyumi _had _introduced him to her friend years ago, but the memory was, again, fuzzy.

"It's so nice to finally meet you all. We hope you enjoy the presentation," Mrs. Tsukino trilled, curtsying, and effectively bringing Kyouya back to earth.

"I assure you, we will. It is a great pleasure to see you again, Atsuko," Yoshio said bowing to her.

"The pleasure is all mine," the girl replied, curtsying once more. Her mother and father went one way, but she glanced once over the room, and, spotting someone, went off in that direction. Of course she wanted to see Fuyumi.

After a few more introductions (Kyouya's stomach had rumbled quietly the entire time), his family dispersed; his father and mother heading off to converse with the adults, his two brothers to talk with their college friends, and Kyouya was left all alone except for his hunger pains. Kyouya rolled his eyes, checked the time on his Rolex, observed that Fuyumi and Atsuko were nowhere to be found, and began scouting the room for a servant carrying a plate or two of appetizers.

After ten minutes, Kyouya sighed impatiently. The party's time was ticking away too slowly, the only person he wanted to talk to had run off with her childhood friend to God knew where, and there were no trays of food in sight. Kyouya began daydreaming-slash-planning-a-viable-escape-attempt when he became distracted.

Fuyumi and her friend darted across the youngest Ootori's peripheral vision, talking in giggles and whispers. Out of sheer boredom, Kyouya decided to follow them.

The two girls wove effortlessly through the socializing adults to the far corner of the room where there were a few sofas, chairs, and coffee table set up in lounge form. Aside from the girls, it was completely empty.

Staying around the corner, within earshot but out of their lines of vision, Kyouya listened in.

"Atsuko, how have you been? I haven't heard much from you lately!" Fuyumi exclaimed in whispers.

"I've been better," Now her voice dropped down to a middle alto. Still femininely high, but not nearly as frilly-sounding. Less breakable. Stronger.

"Your parents getting to you again?" Fuyumi's concern was evident.

"What else? But enough about me, I want to hear about you! How was Tahiti?"

"Very tropical," Fuyumi chuckled. "And hot."

"Tahiti or Daisuke?" Atsuko snickered. Fuyumi blushed a vivid fuchsia and Kyouya was appalled.

"Arisu, how can you say something like that at a public gathering!" his sister reprimanded quietly.

"Like I just did, but you and I both know I was kidding. So how's life, Fuyumi? Your first wedding anniversary is coming up in a few weeks, right? What do you two want?" Atsuko carefully maneuvered into another subject with shocking finesse.

"Um… in order: pretty good; yes, in two weeks; and I have no idea. I haven't thought about it much, I guess," Fuyumi replied, completely distracted.

"Standard greeting card, floral arrangement, and gift card combo works, right?" Atsuko asked sarcastically.

"I don't need you to give me anything! A simple Happy Anniversary phone call will suffice," Fuyumi corrected.

"Still, it's your first anniversary! Do you think Daisuke's gonna do something really special to celebrate it with you?" Kyouya groaned. Girlie stuff. Not exactly palatable conversation, but since he'd dealt with this often enough in the Host Club, he stomached it without complaint while his stomach complained a great deal.

"I'm not sure…" Blush colored Fuyumi's cheeks. She looked so happy at the thought, Kyouya could swear she was glowing.

"He'd better or I'm gonna come over and demand to know what the hell is wrong with him!" Fuyumi giggled. "The real question is what are _you_ going to do to celebrate it? Do you have any _tricks up your sleeve_?" Atsuko was smirking. Fuyumi was blushing a splendid shade of pomegranate. Kyouya groaned again. _**Please **__don't let this conversation turn into a discussion of my sister's sex life._

"Well… sorta… I mean… not_ really_…. but kind of…" his sister rambled. Her friend raised an eyebrow at her. Kyouya subconsciously leaned in.

"May I ask where you're keeping your drugs?" Atsuko asked rhetorically. Kyouya frowned. "Spit it out, whatever it is."

"It's kind of a secret," Fuyumi whispered, blush intensifying. _Please, God, anything but her sex life. _Morbidly, Kyouya leaned in farther to make sure he caught every word, listening more raptly now.

"So whisper it in my ear!" Atsuko giggled, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine," Fuyumi replied. "But you have to promise me you won't tell _anyone_." Her friend nodded, and the two bent over, Fuyumi whispering quickly. Kyouya strained to listen, but he couldn't catch a word. _Shit. Then again, maybe it's better that I don't know…_

Atsuko's jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed quietly. _Okay, so maybe I should know._ "Oh wow. How long ha—," she began, but her friend's whispers cut her off. _What did I miss? What's the secret! I have to know, I'm her brother! _Kyouya internally shouted. _Tell me!!_

"But how have you kept it from him for _that long_?" Atsuko asked. Grinding his teeth together, Kyouya leaned in closer to listen, but to no avail. Fuyumi was whispering answers again, and again, it was too quiet for his ears.

"Oh my God. That's…wow…" Kyouya's frustration began to spike.

"You can't tell _anyone_," Fuyumi reminded. "I wanted to wait a while longer before I let anyone else in on it."

"Are you _insane_! Tell everyone tonight!"

"_No!_" came the immediate reply.

"But why the hell not? Everyone will find out what you did sooner or later anyway!" _This is MADDENING!! _Kyouya fumed._ What the hell did she do?? _"I'm sure you should tell everyone tonight, and besides, if you don't get this off your chest soon, who _knows_ what will happen?"

"You really think tonight's the best time?"

"Of course! Everyone's here without the gossiping half of the press. Tonight's the ONLY time."

"I'm not so sure." Fuyumi bit her lip.

"Come on! What do you have to lose?"

"The respect of my family." Her expression was sad.

"Not if you let them know beforehand," Atsuko contradicted. Kyouya was radiating anger and his blood started to boil.

Fuyumi sat in silence for a minute, contemplating. "You know what? You're right. Tonight is the best time. I'll do it!" With that Fuyumi got up and left, calling a "Wish me luck," over her shoulder.

Kyouya was sure he was going to explode. _What on earth could Fuyumi possibly have to hide that was this big and required this much secrecy? Some sort of felony? Plans for divorce? Some other way to embarrass the family and put their status in jeopardy? _Kyouya's head spun trying to come up with possibilities, but then he realized why he was so angry.

Jealousy.

He had never hated sharing his sister so much as he did now. This girl who hadn't known his sister as long as he had had gotten in on the secret, a secret which Kyouya felt he should have known first. A secret he deserved to know first. He trusted her completely, and he thought she trusted him, too. But apparently he was wrong. She didn't trust him with whatever she had so easily unloaded onto Atsuko. Why? What had he done to be forsaken like this?

_Maybe she was going to tell you and is going to try to find you. Maybe you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time_, his forgiving side murmured. _Or maybe,_ his evil side chimed in, _she just doesn't trust you anymore. Maybe she's given up on you just like your father. If it's been this easy for you to put on an act, how hard could it have been for her?_

Quivering with rage, Kyouya had had enough. He controlled his expression and strode coolly from his hiding place.

Atsuko was sitting alone, sipping a glass of water, smiling triumphantly. "What an interesting turn of events," she mused, swirling her water around as she stared at it. "You must have really enjoyed listening in on it, didn't you, Ootori-san?" she asked, looking at him from the corners of her eyes.

"You knew I was there the entire time." He was seeing red and he folded his arms across his chest to keep his fists from shaking. He stuffed his hands under his arms and pinned them there as he fought to keep his image.

"Of course I knew. Why else would I have stuck to nondescript pronouns?" she chuckled, sipping her water delicately.

"What did my sister tell you?" Kyouya fought to keep his voice in control.

"Why don't you sit down, get yourself something to drink, and we can discuss this like civilized humans, Eavesdropper," she invited, lightly gesturing to the spot next to her. Cognizant of how they would look, Kyouya sat down stiffly.

"Tell me everything," he commanded quietly, leaning in.

"Oh, can't we be more polite than that? I know you must have some virtue, even if you can stoop so low as to try to listen in on a private conversation. You are a host after all; I'm surprised you don't have better manners," Atsuko observed. Kyouya briefly registered his surprise at her intimate knowledge of his life, but ignored it.

"What did my sister say to you?" he growled.

"Nothing of consequence. At least, nothing to entertain," she muttered, suddenly very interested in her long, pointed, manicured nails.

"Tell me," he hissed. "Now." Leaning father in, he emphasized each syllable.

"What, is this the part where you threaten me with your private police force?" Atsuko teased, flipping a fan out from nowhere and waving it at him. "Please. I've heard that one a hundred times before. It doesn't work on me. I'm not betraying my friend." She was smirking, he was very close to snapping, but luckily, Fuyumi appeared from the crowd and came over to them.

"Astu, I told Daisuke and he's—what's Kyouya doing here?" she asked. Before either the boy in question or Atsuko could respond, Fuyumi pressed on. "You didn't tell him anything, did you?" She was alarmed at the thought.

"Would I screw with you like that, Fuyumi? Honestly, I'm a little insulted," her friend joked.

"Okay, good," Fuyumi sighed. "Don't tell him _anything_. I'm just going to find Daisuke again and then we're going to talk to my dad. I'll be back soon," she finished, leaving them.

"One down, one to go," Atsuko said, smug. "Are you sure I can't get you something to drink?" Her voice was sugarcoated; even though it sounded sweet and inviting to passersby, Kyouya's ears could taste the venom.

All this was registered subconsciously, because Kyouya's smoldering rage was lit on fire. He was about to lose it. He had been right. His sister had no intention of telling him the secret. He wasn't to be trusted with it. She specifically asked her friend to keep him in the dark.

"Water, please," he choked out. She pulled a handkerchief out of the air, rubbed around the mouth of her glass (still three-fourths full) and handed it to him. "If you have oral herpes, don't give it back," she warned. Not even bothering to note her inappropriate reference, Kyouya drank deeply. Atsuko hailed another waiter and got another three glasses of water. When Kyouya raised an eyebrow at the number of glasses, she explained calmly, "Fuyumi will want one when she gets back," and passed a full glass to Kyouya, who downed it as quickly as his first.

"Well, you're an aspiring businessman, aren't you?" Atsuko asked, breaking the silence.

Though she smirked, he responded in the affirmative.

"Then this is the part where we find out how much of your training you've truly absorbed. Let's see that checkbook."

"What?" Kyouya was incredulous.

"Well, it's buying information, isn't it? It's just like bidding for a DVD. You name the highest sum you're willing to pay, and I give you the info."

"You just said you would never betray Fuyumi. Are you going to go back on your word?"

"I'm not stupid," she said, chuckling and shaking her head. "I'd take your money and _run_. Steal your dollar like a vending machine." Still chortling, she leaned her head back against the back of the sofa. "Now come on. Show me the money. I need a new TV and it's not gonna buy itself."

"You're insane if you think I'm going to give you any," he spat.

"Then I'm clearly not insane," she replied, lifting her head and leaning forward, "because I don't _think_ you're going to give me the money, I _know_ you're gonna hand it over. Come on now, that TV's not getting any newer here."

His blood pounded in his ears. _What an insolent—_

"Kyouya!" He looked up, surprised to find his sister and Daisuke coming towards them. Arisu changed her position and scooted away from Kyouya to give the newcomers room. They sank down in the space between them and Fuyumi took Kyouya's hands in hers.

"Kyouya I have to talk to you. It's very important," she explained.

"Arisu, I was wondering if I could have a word with you," Daisuke asked. Arisu rose with grace, took her water, and followed him away.

"Kyouya," Fuyumi began, looking at their hands. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know how to say this to you…"

"What? That you can't tell me the secret because I'm not worthy?" Kyouya harrumphed, dropping his act.

"What? No, of course not, Kyon! In fact, I was just about to tell it to you. Why did you think you weren't worthy?"

"Because you specifically told your friend to keep me from hearing it."

"It was for selfish reasons, Kyo. I told Arisu to not tell it to you because I wanted to tell you myself," she clarified. "Why, did you think I had lost faith in you or something?"

_I knew it_, his good side murmured smugly.

"You're right, Fuyumi… those were some pretty selfish reasons. Making me worry like that, what were you thinking?" he joked. Fuyumi chuckled. "You always could see right through me," Kyouya whispered. _And there goes that almost-glow again_, Kyouya thought. _What's with the glowing?_

"I'm sorry for making you worry Kyon. It wasn't intentional," she apologized, giving her little brother a hug. Letting go, she sat back down in her spot and looked at her hands again, which she had moved into her lap. She began wringing them, trying to come up with the right words. "Kyouya…" He nodded, listening intently. "Kyouya… I'm pregnant. I'm gonna have a baby," she whispered, beaming and staring at her stomach. Kyouya's eyes followed her gaze and he realized why the cut of her dress looked so off: there was a slight bump between her hips. For a minute, both of them were completely silent: brother absorbing it, sister biting her lip and waiting for a response.

"How long have you been pregnant?" Kyouya asked.

"A few months, give or take. I was in denial for a bit after… well, you know the first symptoms… but then I sort of realized that I wanted to have the baby."

"And Daisuke and Dad?"

"Yeah, they both know about it. I told them tonight. They're both excited! Actually, I'm surprised Dad took it so well, but maybe it was because Mom was there and she was so keyed up about it… I suppose, at the very least, now there'll be a new and interesting piece of gossip to circulate at dinner!" she laughed, putting a hand on her belly. The action looked subconscious and reflexive to Kyouya. Like she was always destined to be a mother. "But what about you?" she asked. "Are you okay with it? Being an uncle so young?"

_I kind of have to wonder what you'd say if I said no…_

"It's funny," she murmured, "I waited to tell you last because even though I can read you, I wasn't sure how you'd take it."

_Wow… That takes some courage to admit a thing like that…_

"I think having a niece or nephew will be very interesting, at the very least, and very fun at the very best," Kyouya responded carefully, smiling at the end.

"Oh, really, Kyon? Because if you're serious, I want you to be the godfather because Daisuke's an only child and you know you're my favorite brother!" she exclaimed.

"I'd love to be the godfather of your baby," he replied, beaming.

"Hey, my favorite mommy," Daisuke began, strutting into view and plopping down next to Fuyumi, "Some guy we met in a monkey suit wants to know if the rumors are true. Apparently, your mother has taken a real shine to being a grandma first," he snickered, wrapping his arms around her belly. Again, the action looked completely natural to Kyouya, but he couldn't help noticing how protective and instinctual it looked.

"How's life, Prego? Your bro handle the news like a man? Or did he start hyperventilating like your mom?" Kyouya looked over Fuyumi's shoulder to see that Atsuko had followed Daisuke back to the lounge and was looming over him, smirking like she'd just committed a felony.

"Prego?" Fuyumi asked.

"Yep. It's your new nickname, and since you've said it, it's already stuck," she grinned. _You remind me of the Cheshire cat_ _from _Alice in Wonderland, Kyouya thought. _You look so smug._

"Damn," Fuyumi sighed.

"I actually think it's kind of funny. Prego is a type of commoner's spaghetti sauce and you love Italian food, Fuyumi. It kind of fits," Daisuke explained, cupping his chin in one hand and holding his wife close with the other.

"Nah, it's just a shortened version of 'pregnant,'" Atsuko countered, following Daisuke's lead and sitting down, except she sat on a chair instead of the sofa. "So, have you two picked names out for this thing yet or what? I've gotta give something good to the lady who's sitting next to me at dinner. I have absolutely no idea what her name is, but she's already heard about it and is demanding details from me at a previously unprecedented rate," she elaborated.

"Wait, you said you have no idea what her name is?" Kyouya asked.

"What's it to you?" she replied.

"Didn't you pay attention when you were being introduced?"

"Nope. No point. I'm a girl, remember? Not gonna inherit anything."

"Do you remember what she looks like? I have trouble remembering names without seeing them," Daisuke admitted.

"She's the most obese woman here, you can't miss her," Atsuko responded, bored-sounding.

"Ah, I remember her… at least, what she looks like…" Daisuke muttered, deep in thought.

"Arisu! That's not very nice!"

"Prego, admit it, when you saw her you thought she took up her own zip code, too," her friend snickered. Daisuke let a chuckle slip through before Fuyumi glared him down.

"Yes, Arisu, don't say mean things like that at parties… even if you are completely right," he mumbled.

_What are you, her dad? _Kyouya thought.

"Fine, fine, chew me out, why don't you? Anyways, I just came over here to tell you, Fuyumi, that Daisuke and I had a talk about limiting your junk food intake while you're still pregnant, so in honor of our agreement, you're not allowed to cave to your chocolate cravings at dessert tonight. I'm out. See you, Dai, Eavesdropper," she called over her shoulder.

"What does she mean 'no chocolate at dinner?'" Fuyumi whispered, tears in her eyes. "I was really looking forward to having some… and now I can't have any?" Her voice broke. "What?" Daisuke looked shocked.

"No, no, no, no, no, Fuyumi, Atsu was just kidding when she said that.

"No, I really wasn't," she called, looking over her shoulder. Fuyumi began to cry, with big fat tears dripping down her cheeks. "Okay, fine, maybe I was, but still, don't pig out on it or anything!" She disappeared into the crowd then, leaving the two boys to console and control a murderous Prego.

"You think you're ready, Daisuke?" Kyouya asked when Fuyumi left to find and kill Atsuko.

"Ready to be a parent? Hell, no! I can barely keep track of Fuyumi, you, and Atsu. But no worries here," he continued. "I've still got time to get it right. God, me a parent. That's such a shock to think about, don't you think?"

"Yeah."

"And you! You're gonna be an uncle before you graduate! For the record, I'm calling you and the hosts in to baby-sit, regardless of the fee or how much Fuyumi wants Atsuko around; that girl is just too rough and wild to be around a kid."

_The rest of the Host Club could give her a run for her money, I'm sure. Between Hikaru, Kaoru, and Tamaki, she couldn't possibly have enough wild in her to even compare to them_, Kyouya mused.

"I'm warning you, we charge extra for primetimes like nights and weekends, and it's very high for tiny children," Kyouya chortled.

"I'll be sure to set aside half of my retirement funds to pay for it… Oh, wow… And to think that in a few short months, I'll be a dad… Wow…"

"It's an interesting thing to think about. Do you have any names in mind?" Kyouya couldn't help wondering.

"Yeah, I did, actually. I was thinking we should call her Arisu is it's a girl and Kyouya if it's a boy. Still have to talk to Preg—I mean, Fuyumi—about it, though."

"That would be odd…"

"Figured you'd say that. Figure _she'll_ say that, too. But it's still up for debate and we still have time to think it over… You have any ideas?"

"I'm not sure… You could call the baby Kimiko if it was a girl…"

"That's not very creative, Kyouya. I was sure you would have something fantastic up your sleeve like you always do, but who knows? Maybe Fuyumi will surprise us and come up with something noteworthy…" he grinned.

Kyouya couldn't help but smile.

**AN: **OK, everybody! Review time!

Please?


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